


A Second Chance

by DaronwyK



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Secret Relationship, Severus Snape Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 17:14:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20195812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaronwyK/pseuds/DaronwyK
Summary: Accidents happen, but sometimes they aren't unwelcome.





	A Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Slytherin Sunday hosted by Granger Enchanted Survivors. All usual disclaimers apply.

Blaise wasn’t your typical Slytherin. He was laid back and loved to be the center of attention. Currently, he was enjoying his position as British Ambassador to the IWC. Tonight, he was enjoying a party at the Ministry. It was for some charity, but he couldn’t honestly remember which one. All he knew was that there was exceptional wine and lots of gorgeous witches. His eyes however kept drifting down to the most unlikely pair. The witch and wizard in question weren’t standing next to each other, in fact he hadn’t even seen them trade more than two words all night. However, he had noticed the careful stolen looks they’d been trading.

Who would ever have thought it? In the years after the war, his former Professor had retired from teaching and now owned an incredibly successful apothecary business that had all but put all the competition out of business. Severus Snape was still feared to a degree, but people had slowly come to accept that he had indeed been on the Light’s side all along. Harry Potter’s endorsement had certainly gone a long way to improve his public image. Still, imagining him with the Gryffindor Golden Girl was quite a stretch. He grinned a little as he sipped his wine, trying to imagine how it had happened. The entire Wizarding World was going to lose their minds when it finally came out.

Merlin, he couldn’t wait.

o.o.O.o.o

Hermione sat her untouched champagne down and finally managed to slip away from the party. She detested these things, but her position as Kingsley’s Undersecretary required her to be present for them. Having Severus at least in the room made it bearable, but only just. She had a million things on her mind tonight and absolutely none of them involved the Ministry.

She stepped out of the floo into her apartment and kicked off her heels. Severus would follow in a half-hour or so, as was their usual arrangement. It frustrated her to no end, the secrecy that he insisted on. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand why he wanted their relationship kept a secret, but the time for that had really come and gone. The mere fact that she was still with him should have reassured him that she was in this for the long haul, but he always kept her at a distance.

‘There won’t be any way to keep it secret for much longer,’ she thought and sank down onto the couch to wait for Severus. She was honestly terrified about his reaction, not sure that he’d believe that it had been an honest mistake with her contraceptives or if he’d even want to be father. She blinked rapidly, trying to banish the tears. Her emotions were just all over the place.

It seemed like forever before the floo finally flashed over and Severus stepped out of the hearth. He took one look at her and went over, concern clear on his face.

“Has something happened?” he asked.

“Yes…” Hermione dropped her eyes down to where he’d placed his hands over hers. It should be such an easy thing to say, but the words just stuck in her throat. Her bottom lip trembled a little as the silence stretched between them.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” He lifted his hand to cradle her jaw, bringing her eyes up to meet his.

“I’m pregnant.” She finally managed to force the word past her lips. It was the first time she’d said it out loud, and it sounded incredible foreign on her lips. She watched as shock crossed Severus’ face first, followed closely by a flicker of something, before his expression was wiped utterly clean. “Damnit Severus, don’t you dare occlude right now. I need to know what you’re feeling, because I am honestly freaking the hell out here,” she snapped.

Severus scrubbed a hand over his face, letting her see that he was completely off balance. “But how? We’ve always been careful.”

“All I can think is something in my potion’s kit was out of date.” Hermione sighed, stomach dropping a little. He didn’t want it, and she didn’t know what she was going to do. Her eyes stung with tears as everything started to hit her again. She was unprepared for Severus to move, sitting beside her as he pulled her into a firm embrace. Some of the panic eased as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“These things happen,” he whispered into her curls, stroking her back. “I suppose that means we can’t keep things to ourselves anymore.”

“You mean…”

“I’d hardly walk away, silly witch.” He chided her. “I insisted on privacy for your benefit, not mine. This changes things, assuming you intend to keep the baby?” His tone suddenly grew uncertain.

“I do,” she said firmly. She’d never really thought much about having a family and having this baby could impact her career, but she still couldn’t deny that she wanted it.

“Then we’ll do this together and do it right,” Severus said softly. “Would it be out of the question for us to marry?’

Hermione’s eyes went wide, and she moved back a bit to see his face. Any thought that he was doing this out of some weird sense of obligation died as soon as she recognized the look of cautious hope on his face. She felt bowled over with the sudden realization that Severus wanted a family, with her. He was always so hesitant to tell her what he wanted, quick to cede to her needs and desires. Sometimes, she wondered if it was because he was afraid that she’d leave him if he pressed too hard, or asked too much. She leaned up and brushed her lips against his.

“Any witch would be lucky to have you, Severus,” she said.

“I’m not asking any witch, Hermione. I’m asking you,” Severus said, dark eyes locked on hers.

“Yes, I will marry you, Severus Snape,” Hermione said clearly, not wanting any confusion about this. “I want us to have this baby together.”

Severus smiled and leaned down to kiss her deeply. His hand drifted down to rest over her still very flat stomach. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined having this kind of chance. A chance for all the things that he’d missed out on over his years of self-loathing and voluntary servitude to his two masters. He’d assumed his reward was just getting a chance to live his life without debts or obligations, finally able to commit himself to a life of research and experimentation in his chosen craft.

Hermione had been…unexpected. She’d run into him in muggle London and insisted on buying him a coffee. Coffee had turned into dinner, and dinner into a very enjoyable night in his bed. He’d told himself that it was just temporary, that a man like him couldn’t ever expect to have something so good in his life. Over the months that had followed, he’d come to understand that it was more than just a fling. He’d been so afraid to tell her what he wanted, certain she would leave. In short, he’d been an idiot. She was too good for him, but he’d be damned if he was fool enough to convince her of that. He’d been given a second chance, and he was going to grab it with both hands.

~Fin


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